


A Week When You're Mine

by ahhelga



Category: Free!
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe, Canon Compliant, Fluff, Gender Issues, M/M, Reigisa Week
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-18
Updated: 2015-01-20
Packaged: 2018-03-08 01:28:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3190703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ahhelga/pseuds/ahhelga
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of my Reigisa Week drabbles.</p><p>1. Rei has questions about the nature of gender, starting with how can anyone think Nagisa was a girl?<br/>2. In light of realization that he's bored with his life, Rei decides having a heart to heart with a bartender is his best course of action. AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Gender

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rei has questions about the nature of gender, starting with how can anyone think Nagisa was a girl?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rei and Nagisa have their own ideas of gender that do not specifically represent my own ideas.
> 
> This was written on a whim, so I feel like I was all over the place with this one. Hope you enjoy anyway!

Nagisa liked cute things, there was no question about it, no qualms about it, nothing to make the blond care which way or the other whether he really did or not. He simply liked things that were adorable and fluffy and wasn't afraid of it. 

Rei unashamedly loved beautiful things - as long as there was beauty in it, he valued it highly. Often, he was told, he went too far. He had to ignore those people, knowing that as long as color scheme and shape and a carefully calculated look came together, he enjoyed whatever it was.

That, in the end, was why he wondered the auntie in the store thought  _Nagisa_  was a girl. 

The two had been in the store, both of them weighing the benefits of two stationery stacks. Nagisa had opted for a strawberry themed paper, while Rei was presenting his case for a rainbow colored hearts printed paper.

"Nagisa-kun, consider the symmetry of this design. It comes together in a cohesive manner."

From behind, an old lady had come up to them and chuckled.

"Young man, I think you should just go with what your girlfriend is choosing."

It had taken Rei a moment to realize she was talking to them - to  _him_ , and that she had referred to Nagisa as a girl. More specifically, his girlfriend, but he couldn't get passed the first realization to think further on  _that_. That moment was heavy, as the two of them began to realize what was going on. He began to sputter for a response, but Nagisa beat him to the punch.

"Thank you, auntie! I was trying to tell him that!" he'd said cheerfully, voice higher pitched than usual and grinning wide.

Rei was stunned frozen, even as she smiled at them goodbye. He had still been frozen as Nagisa moved onto the next item in the aisle, already seemingly forgetting everything that had just happened.

It'd happened minutes before, but it still weighed on his mind as they weaved through the store's aisles. He stayed silent as Nagisa chatted about other strawberry themed items they'd passed. Rei knew Nagisa's moods as well as any math equation or swimming theory, yet... Nagisa didn't seem to be affected right now.

Rei couldn't believe it. How was it that  _Nagisa_ had been the one mistaken as a girl when Rei was the one holding up paper with hearts on it? Sure, the blond was smaller in stature, but Nagisa had a compact, muscular frame with a pleasing wide shape to his shoulders. Rei knew just how beautiful those lines shaped Nagisa's chest; he often had to resist tracing his fingers along the muscles, after all. Rei knew if Nagisa were a girl, his urges to touch the blond wouldn't be this  _strong_. And his blond hair, though fluffy and soft, were a mess of waves in a way that screamed  _boy_ to Rei. 

It didn't matter that Nagisa was small or liked strawberries and stuffed animals. He was male. He looked the part. The more Rei thought about it, the more heated up he became.

Finally he spoke up, "Aren't you offended?"

"Huh?" Nagisa turned to him.

"Aren't you offended by what that woman said? Does it not remind you of your sisters?"

Nagisa startled. "To be honest, I didn't think about that."

Rei's face heated up as he took hold of his glasses. "Oh. Then I apologize for bringing up a painful memory."

There was a laugh in response. "Rei-chan, it's no big deal! That's not the same thing; that was only an old lady!"

"Still, despite being a boy, you were mistaken as a girl. That has to...hurt in some way, right? Especially since you have a history of being put in the 'female' category - I, I mean, by your sisters who teased you in girl clothes." He had every intention of stopping there, but he couldn't stop the rush of words that came next.

"We should have stood up for your pride as a man. Shown her that even though we're looking at stationery, you are male and have muscles to show for it. That you're more male than I. It's unfair that you're targeted and that I was--that I didn't say anything otherwise. I should have said something."

Nagisa's face became serious. Without even a glance around, he grabbed hold of Rei's hand, his grip tight with his words.

"I don't know why you're suddenly caring so much. But it was a harmless comment, unlike my sisters who purposely bullied me. That lady doesn't know me, but I know who I am. I hold my name with pride. Why is this affecting you?"

"I - I don't know."

Nagisa gave him a look.

Rei sighed, gave in, as always. "Why was it to you that she said that?"

"What d'you mean?"

The words just vomited out of him again. "I just don't understand how someone can see a person and determine just by the way they look how feminine they are. If someone can say something like that about someone's looks without knowing them, what happens when they do know them? And they find out the details that could be seen as weak? Or feminine? What will they say then? What happens then?"

Nagisa eyed him, curious and bright and slightly pitying. "Rei-chan, whether you're feminine or not doesn't make you weak. And it doesn't matter what happens. I had no idea you thought this way. Do you think I'm too feminine because I like penguins?"

"N-no, though--"

"And do you care if Mako-chan or Haru-chan or Gou-chan or Rin-chan saw you with butterflies?"

"I never--"

"Then you have your answer," Nagisa said matter-of-fact, but Rei was still at a loss. "I mean, what does it matter as long as the people who are close to you understand you? It doesn't matter what a stranger says. You're Rei-chan. You like what you like."

"R-right. Of course."

He still wasn't convinced, but Nagisa's sure eyes settled him and gave reassurance. The shorter boy squeezed his hand. They stared at each other until Rei's attention was brought to Nagisa licking his lips.

Rei was suddenly aware of how close they were, in public no less. He stepped back, fumbling with his glasses once more, partly to cover up the redness of his face. They hadn't quite reached that stage, even though they were fairly sure of each other's mutual feelings.

Nagisa pouted briefly before giving into the mood, and instead giving Rei a slick smile.

"And besides, why does it matter if you're feminine? Now you can really try out that bikini bottom I have."

As Rei gave an indignant response, they walked out of the store past the old lady whom neither of them noticed. Rei was only aware that their hands were still clapped, the comfort of Nagisa's closeness and words washing over him with support.


	2. Drinks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In light of realization that he's bored with his life, Rei decides having a heart to heart with a bartender is his best course of action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At half past midnight, I barely missed the day's entry for reigisa week, but I was inspired pretty late by this [doodle](http://hawberries.tumblr.com/post/108623982342) by hawberries, even though this drabble is not directly based on it exactly.

It was no secret that Rei wasn't very happy with where he was. He made decent money, sure, but he always knew he'd be successful; that was just fact. Did he like his job, however? No, not particularly. It got him money, but he felt...

He couldn't find the word.

It was probably the alcohol - he knew he could never hold his drinks too well - but he was desperate to keep thinking of finding the word. For some reason, it felt like his livelihood depended on it. He kept staring at his glass that previously held some hard liquor he barely knew, unused to how the burn still lingered in his throat. At least it was different from what he usually felt.

"If you find the answer to life on your glass, I hope you share it with the class."

"Eh?" Rei looked up to find the bartender - a different one from the girl who had served him his drink - staring down at him with an amused look. The blond bartender was holding out a fresh glass of the same drink Rei had had.

"I can't tell if you're actually reading something on your glass, or if there's some invisible ink that I can't see there. Either way, you're thinking way too hard." He nudged the glass further in front of Rei and gave a wink. "It's on the house."

Rei accepted, and gulped a portion of the glass down. Whether it was the alcohol or the offputting, handsome smile on the bartender's face, Rei decided to dump his thoughts out. That was, after all, part of why he went to this part of town - to sort his feelings out and to ogle other gay men without feeling guilty.

"I will have to apologize, since I do not normally talk so freely about my emotions, but lately I've been restless and not very fulfilled with my life, even though I'm only 22. Ever since I graduated from college, I'm at this decent job, but I've only been there a year and it's not enough. I cannot find the word to describe this feeling; I don't even know what's going on, really, so I--"

Suddenly, the other guy snapped his fingers. "The insurance company!"

"What?" Rei felt startled out of his rant, sure his words were unstructured and quite a mess.

"That's where I saw you. You work at the insurance company near my house. I remember you because of your cute face and the glasses."

All he could do was sputter in return. Despite it being rude that the young man interrupted his talking, Rei was incredibly flattered that this good looking man paid him a compliment. 

"Y-yes. I work at an insurance company." He muttered out the name of the company, already disliking the thought of it.

"Great! I was right! I'm Nagisa Hazuki, client of Mei Tanaka!"

Rei didn't know Nagisa, but he did know Mei, a pasty woman who often started tedious conversation. He wondered how she could handle Nagisa's liveliness. 

The blond could probably out-liven anybody at the office.

Rei didn't realize he'd said just as much out loud. Nagisa just smiled in return.

"I don't think I'm as crazy as you think I am."

"Compared to my life, you seem to have as much excitement in one week as I have in a year."

"Seems like you're just bored."

The lightbulb went off in Rei's head. "That's it - I'm, I'm bored. I want to be  _challenged_."

"And you think you can handle a challenge?"

Rei took another sip of his drink and stared into the bartender's eyes, saying, "I know I can."

Nagisa chuckled. "Okay, okay."

"The thing is," he started. "All my life I've taken careful calculations for the most optimal outcomes. But all it does is keep me on this steady path to - to nothing. There's not a lot of beauty in what I do. There's not a lot of anything. And I'm bored."

The other man leaned in, blond bangs falling low over his eyes. Rei wanted to brush it out of the way and dig his fingers into his scalp. "You know what's the solution to that?"

"Come spend the night with me."

"What?!"

Nagisa at least blushed. "I didn't mean it like that. I meant - I can take you places. Do something unexpected. Show you a sight you've never seen before."

"I don't even know you," Rei hesitated.

"And I'd be satisfied if I even got your number. Or your name." Nagisa bit his lip, his eyes both seducing and pleading in a way that Rei had never seen before. It was the most peculiar, perfect blend of confidence and shyness.

Rei couldn't believe how straightforward this man was. But he felt the warmth of Nagisa's words and gaze down to his toes, and it made him want to be reckless. And that wasn't even the alcohol speaking.

"I've never done anything like this." Or even had a date, he thought to himself.

"Gotta live a little." 

"You won't get in trouble?"

"It's fine. It's a Tuesday. Nobody is here on a Tuesday." He paused. "Except for you. So you've got step one to excitement done."

"And if I decide to back out?"

Nagisa shrugged, taking a swig out of his own cider bottle that Rei didn't notice before. It was almost as if he was nervous. "Like I said, I'd be fine with even a name."

There was a long pause. Finally, he finished up whatever was left in his glass, and said, "My name is Rei Ryugazaki. It would be my honor to accompany you tonight."

"Well, Rei-chan, I'll make sure tonight is a night you won't forget."

"I believe you in that," he said, and then after thinking of what he said, he continued. "And Rei-chan! So familiar! Don't call me -chan."

"I can call you whatever I want since I'm pretty sure I'm older than you," Nagisa said, winking.

The action made Rei blush. "You know, I have a feeling you're going to ruin me."

"Or completely revive you!"

Either way, Rei knew Nagisa was going to change him in some way. And he was completely okay with that.


End file.
